• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

  • Policy Issues
    • Fact Sheets
    • Countries
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Non-Proliferation
    • Nuclear Security
    • Biological & Chemical Weapons
    • Defense Spending
    • Missile Defense
    • No First Use
  • Nukes of Hazard
    • Podcast
    • Blog
      • Next Up In Arms Control
    • Videos
  • Join Us
  • Press
  • About
    • Staff
    • Boards & Experts
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Financials and Annual Reports
    • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Search
You are here: Home / Security Spending / Pentagon Budget / The House is Reckless and Senate is Secretive on Slushy Defense Spending

May 15, 2015

The House is Reckless and Senate is Secretive on Slushy Defense Spending

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Amanda Waldron

awaldron@clw.org; 202-543-4100 ext. 2115

 

Today, the House approved its version of the Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a vote of 269 to 151.

The House bill authorized $612 billion in total for defense spending in FY16. While this figure matches the President’s request overall, the House boosted funding for the Overseas Contingency Operations account to an outrageous $96 billion, while lowering the base Pentagon budget to $523 billion. Compare that to the President’s original request of $51 billion for OCO and $561 billion for base Pentagon spending.

In the House, more than 60% of the 355 amendments to the bill submitted to the Rules Committee were not allowed to be considered, and a mere ten minutes was allotted to debate each amendment.

Meanwhile, the Senate Armed Services Committee debated and voted on their version of the NDAA behind closed doors. The bill has not been made public.

Executive Director Angela Canterbury said:

“We are pleased that 151 bipartisan members of the House saw fit to reject this reckless bill. As usual, the NDAA is chock-full of programs and policies that will not improve our national security, while many proposed amendments that would make us safer were not even allowed for consideration. For example, an amendment by Rep. Fortenberry (R.-Neb.) to prevent nuclear terrorism was not allowed, yet the bill spends another $1 billion to buy six more troubled F-35 planes before they can even fly.

Perhaps most egregious, the House authorized nearly $100 billion for a slush fund for the Pentagon as an end-run around their own budget caps. Meanwhile, the Senate Armed Services Committee’s work on the bill was done almost entirely in secret. According to their press release, the committee bemoaned wasteful spending at the Pentagon and found $10 billion in savings—but then they poured it all back into pet projects.

Congress needs to stop spending our tax dollars on slush and calling it strength.” 

Click to read more on the amendments permitted and not permitted to the House NDAA.

Canterbury and the rest of the Council and Center’s experts can be reached by contacting Amanda Waldron at awaldron@clw.org or 202-543-4100 x 2115.

###

The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation is a national non-partisan, non-profit dedicated to enhancing peace and security through expert policy analysis and thought-provoking research. Since 1980, the Center’s expertise on reducing the threats of war and nuclear weapons has been sought by the media and policymakers—supported by the tax-deductible contributions of foundations and individuals.

www.ArmsControlCenter.org

 

For more than 50 years, the Council for a Livable World has been advocating for a more principled approach to U.S. national security and foreign policy. Our mission is to increase peace and security and to reduce the threats of war and nuclear weapons by representing our members in Washington and electing congressional candidates who support our goals.

www.LivableWorld.org

Posted in: Pentagon Budget, Press & In the News on Pentagon Budget, Press Releases, Press Room, Security Spending

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Report: Global Nuclear Weapons Spending Surpassed $100 Billion Last Year June 13, 2025
  • Fact Sheet: The Arms Trade Treaty June 9, 2025
  • Fact Sheet: “Golden Dome” June 9, 2025
  • The Long Shadow of Syria’s Chemical Weapons May 15, 2025
  • Fact Sheet: Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT) May 15, 2025

Footer

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

820 1st Street NE, Suite LL-180
Washington, D.C. 20002
Phone: 202.546.0795

Issues

  • Fact Sheets
  • Countries
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Non-Proliferation
  • Nuclear Security
  • Defense Spending
  • Biological and Chemical Weapons
  • Missile Defense
  • No First Use

Countries

  • China
  • France
  • India and Pakistan
  • Iran
  • Israel
  • North Korea
  • Russia
  • United Kingdom

Explore

  • Nukes of Hazard blog
  • Nukes of Hazard podcast
  • Nukes of Hazard videos
  • Front and Center
  • Fact Sheets

About

  • About
  • Meet the Staff
  • Boards & Experts
  • Press
  • Jobs & Internships
  • Financials and Annual Reports
  • Contact Us
  • Council for a Livable World
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

© 2025 Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
Privacy Policy

Charity Navigator GuideStar Seal of Transparency